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U.S. Soldiers Capture Terrorists, Thwart Terrorist Acts in Iraq

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2005  U.S. soldiers have maintained the offensive in Iraq and have stopped ongoing terrorist activities and captured numerous terrorist suspects in recent days, military officials said.

An alert soldier from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, stopped two terrorists attempting to emplace two improvised explosive devices on a main road north of Baghdad.

The soldier immediately called for two M1A1 tanks from the 1st Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment. The tank crews identified the terrorists and engaged them with machine guns before calling in two AH-64 Apache helicopters. The Apaches then pursued the fleeing terrorists, officials said.

A military explosive ordnance disposal unit destroyed the IEDs, and the terrorists were stopped before they could use these weapons to injure or kill coalition forces and Iraqi civilians.

In another incident, soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, also captured a would-be suicide car bomber after he attempted to attack their patrol on Sept. 22.

The driver of a blue Opel reportedly attempted to ram his explosives-laden car into one of the patrol's Humvees. But before the terrorist reached the patrol, U.S. troops fired at the car, resulting in a series of explosions, which forced the driver to abandon his vehicle and flee into a nearby house.

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment quickly captured the driver and searched his car. They found two propane tanks and a container of mixed explosive materials in the vehicle. A military explosive ordnance team disposed of these bomb materials, and the troops transferred the bomber to a coalition Forces' detention facility.

Saud, a member of the city council, was killed when he and a police captain fired on a Task Force Liberty patrol. The patrol had been approaching a house soldiers were going to search when they were fired upon by Saud and the police captain, officials say.

An Iraqi citizen had informed the soldiers personnel in the house had been involved in a Sept. 20 ambush on a coalition forces' combat logistics patrol.

Local leaders and coalition Forces have implemented a temporary curfew from 7:30 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. to guard against further violence. The town's mayor, city council members, tribal leaders, and chief of police all agreed to adopt the temporary curfew.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, killed a terrorist and detained a suspect after stopping a suspicious vehicle in central Mosul Sept. 21. Also Sept. 21, soldiers from the same regiment detained five terrorist suspects at a checkpoint in western Mosul.

Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, detained four terrorist suspects during separate operations in eastern Mosul Sept. 22. They also detained five suspects believed to have assisted in planting a car bomb in northern Mosul Sept. 22.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment killed one terrorist, wounded another, and detained 12 suspects following an incident at a checkpoint Sept. 22. Also Sept. 22, soldiers from the same regiment detained a suspect, while seizing small arms in eastern Mosul. These weapons were confiscated for future destruction.

Soldiers from 52nd Infantry detained six terrorist suspects west of Jazirah Sept. 22.